About

The Cloth Almanac

Every pattern has a paper trail. Gingham to herringbone to Harris tweed, each named cloth has a place it was first woven, a thing it was named for, and a route it traveled to reach us. This is a catalogue of those records.

Each entry is one numbered specimen: the geometry of the pattern, rendered from its own specification rather than photographed, alongside its documented origin, trade history, and sources. The aim is a reference work for sewists, designers, and anyone who has ever wondered why a check is called a tattersall or a stripe a Breton.

Read more about how entries are sourced and rendered in the methodology.